“What?”
“Being loved by people who don’t let go.”
His thumb brushed over her knuckles. “You’d rather be loved by people who do?”
She didn’t answer because he had a point.
They drove with music playing softly beneath the hum of the road. Old R&B. Anita Baker. The Isley Brothers. Minnie Ripperton was on repeat until he switched to something newer that Jio claimed he didn’t like but somehow still managed to sing it word for word. Nina teased him until he threatened to turn the music off completely, which only made her laugh harder.
Somewhere along the way, her body betrayed her and before she knew it, her eyelids grew so heavy that she couldn’t stay awake if she wanted to. From the groovy music to the smooth drive and the warmth of Jio’s hand on her thighs, she couldn’t fight her sleep. Lord knows, she tried her best to stay awake, but sleep wrestled her anyway.
When she woke up, her view had changed completely. She blinked slowly, returning back to reality and away from the sweet dreams that she had while napping. Vivid clips of her and Jio sailing down the Amalfi Coast with their two children in tow filled her mind. She prayed for the day that her dreams came true.
She sat up. “Where are we?”
Jio was puffing on the last of a blunt. “We almost there.”
She looked out of the window to see the most striking homes, but they weren’t the typical ones that she was used to seeing in this area. These houses had character. With one look at the large porches, wide lawns, trees with swings, and stone pathways that curved into the front doors that were all painted in rich colors, she realized that she’d never seen these before.
“I’ve been to the Hamptons a hundred times, we’ve never came this way. Is this a back road?”
Some of the estates sat tucked behind hedges, others seemed intentionally visible, as if the owners were used to sitting on the porch and waving at their neighbors.
She was stunned when they passed a wave of black people.
An older Black man in linen pants watered hydrangeas near a white fence with a golden retriever sleeping at his feet. Two teenage boys rode past on bicycles, laughing as one balanced a basketball under his arm. A woman in a wide-brim straw hat arranged flowers on a porch as music floated from somewhere Nina couldn’t see.
It sounded like Frankie Beverly, if her ears weren’t mistaken. A golf cart rolled by carrying three older women dressed for somebody’s luncheon, each of them wearing sunglasses with their purses sitting carefully in their lap.
Nina sat up straighter. “Where are we?”
“The Bluff.”
She tilted her head at him as if it would help her remember. “The Bluff? I’ve never heard of it.”
“Most people haven’t.”
She looked back outside, unable to take it all in fast enough.
There was a small bookstore on a corner with a green awning and two rocking chairs out front. A wine bar sat beside it, and they had a patio filled with Black couples sipping Rosé beneathstriped umbrellas. A historic church appeared next, white with navy doors and a bell tower that looked like it had witnessed baptisms, funerals, weddings, and a praise-filled service each and every Sunday. Beyond that, a row of homes sat towards the water. This was beautiful. Nina could smell the Black pride as they drove by.
“My family came to the Hamptons all the time. How did I not know this was here?”
Jio turned down another road.
“Because this not where tourists go.”
She looked at him. “I'm not a tourist.”
“You are when you in a city that you don’t live in, baby girl,” he chuckled. Nina took offense to the stupidest things, they had to work on that.
She wanted to call and ask her mama if she ever heard of the town, but it would open up way too many questions. Nina kept a healthy distance from her family these days. She only showed her face when it was absolutely mandatory. She barely spoke to any of them, nor did she care to change it, especially when the phone worked both ways. Unfortunately, she washed her hands with her sister Talia too. She’d disappointed her one too many times. Nina prayed she was well.
Nina had experienced the Hamptons through her family’s version of access. She’d been to the most exclusive country clubs. They attended the popular annual brunches and charity events. Her mom always made a big deal if their table wasn’t in the front, which was known as the big spender and donors area. Nina saw the polished side of the Hamptons. However, the historian that lived inside of her wanted to get out of the car and explore The Bluff. She also wanted to know how The Bluff got left out of the discussion for where families could spend time when they came to the Hamptons. The Bluff was like a city within a city. She’d never seen anything like this before.
Her chest tightened. “Jio...”
“Yes, babe?”
